It was early in July that a gold seizure by the Customs led to the unearthing of a major smuggling racket. As early probe revealed the role of influential people in the corridors of power in Kerala and wheeler-dealers linked to the UAE Consulate in the state capital, a mere gold seizure case soon acquired immense political and even diplomatic ramifications. The probe has picked up pace since then and led to the arrest of several smugglers, their accomplices and lately Kerala bureaucrat M Sivasankar on October 28. He has been booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) over financial dealings linked to the accused in the gold smuggling racket.
Here are some significant probe findings that ultimately led to Sivasankar's arrest even as he is set to face more probe and new cases as multiple angles of the smuggling case are being investigated by several agencies.
1. Locker and Chartered Accountant
A turning point in the case has been the statement given by Chartered Accountant V Venugopal that he had opened a bank locker along with Swapna under instructions from M Sivasankar. The ED had also found that Sivasankar and Swpana arrived at the CA's house carrying a bag full of money. The Whatsapp chats between Sivasankar and Venugopal prove that the IAS officer was aware of Swapna's financial transactions. Sivasankar has also not been able to give a clear reply to the Whatsapp chats.
2. Currency conversion and smuggling of dollars
The investigating agency has found out that the accused in the gold smuggling case had converted Indian Rupee into US Dollars and smuggled them abroad and a consulate official had converted Rs 1.34 crore into dollars. The bank manager has given a statement that he had made the currency conversion and given dollars to Swapna on the instructions of Sivasankar.
3. Regular meetings of smuggling racket
The flat where the members of the gold smuggling gang met frequently and hatched conspiracy several times was arranged by Sivasankar. Swapna Suresh and her husband made a late-night visit to Sivasankar's flat on the day before Customs registered the gold smuggling case. Swapna made phone calls to Sarith and Sandeep from this flat.
4. Call to Customs
The ED told the Kerala High Court that Sivasankar had also called up Customs officials earlier to get diplomatic baggage released. The ED pointed this out while opposing the officer's anticipatory bail plea in the court. However, the Customs have not told the court about Sivasankar having called their officials.
5. Foreign trips along with Swapna
Of the 11 foreign trips made by Sivasankar, Swapna was with him on three occasions. Both traveled together to Dubai on April 11, 2017 in connection with the SmartCity project. They also took part in the GITEX Technology Conference in Dubai. Both also returned together after Oman visit in 2018. Sivasnakar has not been able to explain or bring clarity on the logistics related to the foreign visits including the expenditure involved.
6. Mystery behind dates
The then social welfare director T V Anupama gave a statement to Customs that 17,000 kg of dates were imported to the state via UAE Consulate in 2017 on the verbal direction of Sivasankar. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the distribution of dates to the orphanages in the state on May 26, 2017. Sivasankar has owned up the responsibility for distribution of dates and informed that no one else was involved in it.
7. Together in Life Mission project
Life Mission CEO U V Jose has clarified that M Sivasankar involved Red Crescent to the Wadakancherry Life Mission project in which Swapna had pocketed huge commission. The owner of real etate developer Unitac has given a statement to the investigating agency that he got an opportunity to meet Sivasankar and the latter introduced him to U V Jose after he paid the commission for the Wadakanchery project.
8. Swapna at Space Park
The inquiry conducted by the chief secretary-level committee had found that Sivasankar had appointed Swapna in the Space Park project at the behest of PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The state government spent Rs 2.7 lakh per month on Swapna who entered the job with a fake degree certificate. It is etimated she had carried out gold smuggling 21 times after getting the job in the IT department . A week after getting into Space Park, Swapna carried out the first gold smuggling.
9. Price of friendship
Swapna gifted an iPhone to Sivasankar on his birthday. In his statement , Sivasankar disclosed that he had helped Swapna financially on many occasions. The officer's links with P S Sarith, another accused in the gold smuggling case, have also been proved.
